How To Use Site Reviews To Build Killer Designs

A lot of my clients and friends know that as the author of The Small Business Website Bible (http://www.smallbusinesswebsitebible.com), I love checking out other Websites—both amazing and awful. So they send them my way.

Honestly, I’m endlessly fascinated by the variety of ways a site can be designed, organized and structured. And there’s always something to learn or inspiration to be gained by looking at how others have done theirs.

This week I’m excited to bring you a review of one of my recent faves…Stratejoy.com. I even had the great pleasure of meeting the woman behind the Website at an event here in Seattle a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s what’s so wonderful about her site:

1) Visually it stands out. This site isn’t cluttered or overly fancy. But the zesty graphics and frisky color choices brand it as different at first glance.

2) It’s targeted towards a specific ideal client. Everything about this site is written and designed with the twenty-something suffering a “quarter-life crisis” in mind. From the pink color, to the pinwheel and photo in the header, the fun handwriting font, and even the tone of the copy.

3) On the subject of the content (or copywriting), it does an incredible job of speaking directly to the ideal client in an authentic, friendly and engaging way. This site is far from a snooze fest to read. It’s fun and funny. And it uses the same vocabulary as its ideal client—curse words included.

Here’s a sample of what I’m talking about straight from her site:

Quarterlife Crisis?

This site is for you, Cupcake.

You’re most likely a Gen Y babe who refuses to settle for a ‘good enough’ life. You want the whole enchilada. You want the energy that comes along with being authentic, the “I love my life” sparkle, the inner calm that surfaces when you’re on the right path.
You want to Rock Your Right Life, Right Now.

When I complimented Molly on her marketing voice she said, “I’m lucky because that’s just my natural writing voice. I don’t have to work for it.”

Note to self, your natural voice may be just what the doctor ordered—especially if you are a good example of your target market. It’s going to come across as authentic and warm versus the stuffy, overly formal writing most entrepreneur’s think they need to use.

4) Since it’s a blog site, it’s always got fresh content (great for search engine optimization). And she has guest bloggers writing for her as well. That adds authenticity and shows she has a worthwhile, active tribe that others would want to be part of. Smart…Very smart.

5) Important stuff is in the top right corner of the content zone. When I first checked out the site, her offer for “The Gutsy Girl’s Guide to Success” was in that spot. A perfect choice if her goal is to grow her list. And you gotta love that name!

Recently, that’s been bumped down in favor of a more important promotion. This works beautifully and makes total sense in terms of getting visitor’s attention and achieving her business goals.

6) The navigation is clear and consistent. Again, nothing fancy here. Just nice, intuitive navigation options that remain the same on every page. Since there’s not too many, it’s easy to see what the options are here and find what you’re after.

7) She’s got good calls to action. At the bottom of the home page for example, she doesn’t leave it up to the reader to decide to take action. She gives three choices and provides the links and details to help you get started.

Bottom line is, this site proves it isn’t the bells and whistles that make the connection or the sale. Go to http://www.stratejoy.com and check it out for yourself. And if you’re struggling with a quarter-life crisis of your own I highly recommend Molly’s products and programs too.

About the Author:
Practical Marketing Expert and Business Lifestyle Architect Stacy Karacostas is on a mission to end Entrepreneurial Overwhelm and Marketing Madness! Discover how to grow your businesses with less effort-so you can help more people, make more money AND still have a life-by grabbing your copy of her FREE "Success without Shackles Starter Kit" at http://www.theunchainedentrepreneur.com.